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May 14, 2019

Nike’s Shoppable Snapchat Lens Let Users Buy Team U.S.A. Soccer Jerseys

The experience heralds interesting innovations that could one day be relevant in the promotional products industry.

By  Christopher Ruvo

Imagine virtually “trying on” a piece of clothing through a social media platform and, if you like it, being able to tap through to buy it online.

No need to imagine.

Nike and Snapchat teamed up to make the scenario a reality.

On May 9th, Nike featured its first ever shoppable Snapchat Lens. The initiative helped fuel Nike’s promotional push tied to the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team’s upcoming participation in the FIFA Women’s World Cup in France, which begins in June.

For the single-day shopping event, Snapchaters were able to use the image-messaging app’s augmented reality feature to embellish their images with digital versions of the home and away Nike soccer jerseys the U.S. women will wear at this year’s World Cup. The filter also let users apply Nike’s “Just Do It” tagline to the images.

What’s more, the experience empowered Snapchaters to try the jerseys on – in a virtual sense, of course. Those who liked what they saw were able to swipe through to Nike.com and purchase the product.

U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team Jersey for the 2019 World Cup, by Nike. Buy it here.

While this is Nike’s first time using a shoppable Snapchat Lens, this isn’t the first time Nike has sold product directly to consumers through the platform. In 2018, the global athletic wear mega label became the first brand to sell direct through the app when it conducted a pre-release promotion for its Air Jordan III “Tinker” shoe. How long did it take those kicks to sell out? All of 23 minutes.

That event’s success opened the door to other direct-to-consumer shopping experiences on Snapchat. Adidas, gaming company King, and STX Entertainment have all sold through the app. Pop star Nicki Minaj nabbed a digital age first when she became the initial creator to post an AR lens with a shop button to promote one of her albums.

Broadly speaking, the developments show how social media platforms are increasingly turning their attention to doubling as shopping sites -- all as a means of expanding revenue streams beyond advertising. Instagram has got in the act too, and some big brands have leveraged it with success.

“There was no doubt that Instagram had a positive impact for our online business in the first quarter,” Kasper Rorsted, CEO of adidas, said recently. “Product launches and Instagram’s checkout tool were the two most important things for our online sales business in the first quarter.”

For promotional products pros, the story raises certain tantalizing prospects for the future. For one thing, industry firms could be able to offer shopping experiences directly through their social media platforms. Meanwhile, distributors could eventually outfit online corporate stores with AR-backed virtual sizing and ordering tools that end-users access through an app.